Tag: teaching

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Teach What You Know, You Will Be Better For It

Sometimes an over-inflated ego strikes us in ways we don’t expect.

An example:

One of my biggest battles with my ego happens when I learn something interesting, stuff that is “off book,” something that makes me special. I usually assume the people around me won’t get it, won’t understand it, and won’t want to hear it.

I keep it to myself. Then I pay for it.

It costs me in two ways:

  • Externally, through not teaching – I lose the chance to transform and promote change. I miss sharpening the skills I just invested time in learning. I don’t work with the material in a different way, building my own lessons through pushing them from my prism.
  • Internally, by not respecting the people around me – It becomes another way to build a wall, exclude, and “specialize” myself. It becomes tougher to get along with them because I start chiding them from something they didn’t even cause. They are THEM and I and those who went through it are US.

When we refuse to give people the chance to engage with what we know, we’re the ones who lose out.

 

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History is a Critical Class – They Just Teach It Wrong

‘History’ is taking a beating now.

I have heard history described as “a collection of” facts.  The blow back from such a definition is that people think its an easy course to dispose of, since technology such as Google can return  information back to anyone who asks a question. So if it is “a collection of” facts, spending time teaching it is a waste. That it’s worth spending that time talking about programming, or some other technical skill.

A lot of people argue that for that reason, teaching history is a waste of time. If that is how it’s being taught, then they are right. Spending time repeating facts is a huge waste of time. The problem is that “a collection of facts” is a horrific definition of history. That is like calling math “a collection of numbers.”   The definition misses the context and power of learning.

Then what is it?

History is a case study of our existence. 

To look at history is to look at the human mind on a meta level. It is to understand what goes on in our heads. It teaches us lessons. It gives us discussions. History provides a backdrop for incredible storytelling and debate. Great history discussion humanizes us, because it allows our brains to go somewhere, free, to think as someone else did.

You can pick any time in history, and start a debate, and for the most part, if you take a look at the great historians, most of the great story telling is already done.  For example, lets take ancient roman history. If a teacher picks up a book like Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm, there are a ton of discussions over concepts like power, corruption, intrigue, philosophy, business, and even storytelling. Those ideas directed by the book,and would equip anyone for high level political discourse.

And that’s history. Ultimately, history humanizes and contextualizes everything.

That sounds great but whats the problem?

Most things being taught in history class become standardized, so the argument above, that states “history is a collection of facts” is more correct. The case study model is rarely implemented, leaving questions like “when the Declaration of Independence was signed” the bedrock of exams. That is boring because history is the absolute worst class to “standardize” and “teach the test.” It turns something dynamic into something simple, and boring.

In that case, the class is useless. But in any well-rounded thinkers head, history is a required class, because it allows the thinker to move around in ambiguous circumstances, debate, and “see” in a way that other classes don’t allow.

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The “Millennials Problem” – aka YOU DONT NEED PING PONG TABLES

 

Whenever there is a perceived problem, you can find a perceived expert.

I realized this one day when I was in my VP’s office, discussing a class he just took. I was looking at a packet that named “Millennials and You”, and I had this shocked look on my face.

Not only because I didn’t know my generation required an after school special title for a class, but this class was given by an elite school (I won’t name it, but if someone came to you with a degree from this place, you would pay to listen to them, regardless of age)

I didn’t know my generation was so difficult to figure out. especially since every person my age wants the same things.

The packet made things way more complicated

I would have laughed reading that packet, if I wasn’t so shocked.  First the class had two Ph.D’s, both ivy league educated, both being “experts”. They had graphs and charts, a Powerpoint presentation, and the backing of that elite school. Looking at the front, I expected to learn something from reading that packet.

After going through it, I realized that my VP and company just got hustled. I recognized this when my VP started talking about ping-pong tables and white boards all over the walls.

I grew up around millennials, and I never, ever heard of a go-getter (I know a lot of them) ever say they need more ping-pong tables.

 

They are attacking the wrong problem. They focus on millennials, but the issue attacks every employee they have.

First, the context

What this class, my VP, and I am betting, everyone else who swears the problem is with the new, young people they work with is missing is the context of the world.

The gold watch era is gone.  Millennials grew up watching the last few generations have fleeting security, and as outsiders, noticed how the perks changed with each passing year. I’ve watched the layoffs. People I’ve known all my life got a pink slip just to get a better bottom line. The market matured into a free agent based system.

We heard the complaints. And millennials just internalized the free agent market. We realized that we aren’t going to get taken care of, and the best don’t feel safe for a moment.

With lack of safety, comes lack of engagement

The numbers bare this out. There isn’t a millennial engagement problem, there is a problem with the entire workforce. The gun comes under the new people, because they are bold enough to question, and are a little louder with the dissent.

The truth is, everyone is, some just keep quiet.

So, what I told my VP, and what I am telling you, the reader, now is that you don’t need professors taking thousands of dollars to “teach” you about your youngest employees. All you need to do is work on the engagement issue – meaning, listen.

What you will find is that it isn’t just a problem with the younger group, there are issues all through the workforce.  We are all scared. work on the fear, and magically, you find all the millennials working hard (because everyone will) .We all want the same things, meaningful work, a decent pay check, some vacation time, and most importantly, someone to  hold us accountable while making sure we aren’t alone. Does that sound familiar?

No ping-pong tables required.

 

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Video: Copy Teardown f/ Neville Medhora ( @nevmed )

Lately, I have tried to figure out how to get better at writing copy. I write a lot here (everyday even). But there is a difference between writing and communication. My end goal with this blog is to use it as a training ground in learning how to communicate my ideas, share my views, and understand this creative journey that I am on.

This is why I found myself enjoying this video by Neville Medhora  giving actionable advice on how to write good copy on an existing page. It is a great example of someone just doing work(he did this free), honing his skills( this is an example of applying what you learned) and teaching at the same time.  I don’t know if I am going to move into YouTube to teach the skills I have learned (I have standup comedy there if  interested – no, seriously.)

 

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